Designing Early Childhood Outdoor Environments Certificate

Designing Early Childhood Outdoor Environments is a non-credit, distance-learning certificate program for landscape design professionals and academic institutions teaching design-related disciplines (landscape architecture, landscape design, landscape management, landscape contracting, horticultural science, garden design, etc.), as well as extension agent training programs. The course covers participatory design processes, technical design topics, and tools for improving outdoor play and learning environments for young children (ages 0-7) and the adults accompanying them in the locations of daily life: childcare centers, schools, neighborhood parks, children’s gardens, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, and similar institutions. The goal of Designing Early Childhood Outdoor Environments is to help participants create designs that can support active lifestyles, promote mental health and well-being, encourage healthy eating, and motivate learning in, about, and through nature. To be successful in this course, all participants need proficiency in digital drafting. Practitioners should have a landscape architecture degree or at least two years’ experience in landscape design practice. Currently enrolled students should have at least two years of course work in landscape design.